Griggs courier., 1887-11-25
been its effect upon man that oven
poets have not disdained to invoke the

nearest entrance OF the hotel and made
his way to his room.
When Mi. Wood emerged therefrom
he made his way to the English bank
to deposit the papers saved in his belt.
and there encountered the second sur
prise Of the day. The teller. who re-
ceived and credited him with the
amount was the counterpart Of the
English robber Of the morning; but he
had no beard, nor could Wood recall
that he had even seen him adorned
with that symptom of manhood. 1t
was impossible that he should be q
lGdr0n- his position in the bank, his
easy, self possessed manner, not brazen,
but natural and innocent. No, it was
mistake.
The next day, there being several
Mexican merchants to start for Vera
Cruz. Mr.. Henry Yorke, Of Wood &
Co., was dispatched with them in the
morning stage. He went well armed,
and had the name of being fighting
man. But, as yet no crowd of Mexi-
can passengers has frightened band
of robbers from its enterprise, and so,
at sunrise, Yorke discovered two small
squads of horsemen bearing down on
the stage from opposite directions.
:'There are six of them" he said,
and we are nine men, with only one
woman. Are we to fight, gentlemen,
or shall we surrenderp"
s:Mexicans never surrender" cried
one of them. 1--WE will fight to the
last drop of blood" e
Eyes, always" answered the other
eight
II shall be killed; oh, shall be
killed!" shrieked the frightened
woman.
I'VE shall defend you. senora," they
declared. The horsemen drew near.
All were masked and armed. One
party passed the coach, wheeled, and
instantly returned. Meanwhile Yorke
sprang from the stage. which had
stopped, and, calling to his fellow-pas-
sengcrs to join him. fired his rifle at
the nearest of the gang and killed him.
He then began discharging his re-
volver, as they closed in on him, and
looking about for his companions, dis
covered them all in their seats, pallid
spectators of his recklessness. In an
other instant pistol-ball struck him
down.
Evidently the ladromes had only con-
tempt for the Mexican passengers. for
they rode directly forward to the fallen
American, whose body they mercilessly
hacked in pieces with their sabers, for
a warning to all who resisted their
robbelies.
The entire treasure of Wood & Co.
was taken from the person of Yorke
and his valise; and the passengers, the
lady not excepted, were robbed of
every article they possessed. even to
their outer clothing. When the ladrones
left, their captain opened an en-
broidered Jacket, revealing the form
of woman, and cried, with sneer:
''You are men. Adios"
When the stage, returning, entered
the patio of the Hotel Inturbide, with
the body of Mr.. Yorke. it was met by
Wood, to whom the lady-passenger de-
clared that his partner had been killed
by an Englishman of the band, whose
lower face was ruddy, narrow and
thin, ending in a little shadowy beard;
that he had reached into the coach,
and shot Yorke in the back, through
the open doorway of the opposite side,
as he was firing rapidly at the gang.
and that, as he withdrew his head, his
beard dropped from his chin. and she
had secured it.
At ten o'clock, that morning, he
went to the English Bank with the
woman, and presented a check for
payment. As the teller laid down the
money he saw the little wad of beard
on the counter, picked it up. and,
looking at it curiously, said: ''What
is this?" At the same moment, Mr..
Wood discovered that his companion
trembled violently and was becoming
alarmingly pale, and lost no time in
leaving the bank.
The woman was sure of the identity
of the man. and would listen to no pos
sibility of her mistake. As for Mr..
Edgar Wood, he was confounded, but
he did the customary thing, and set an
English detective on the track of Mr..
Carlos Watfils, the teller of the En-
glish Bank of Mexico.
The next payment went to the line
in charge of paymaster and mount
ed guard, of whom the chief was one
of the most successful ladro,ses of Mex
leo; he gave safe conduct to the treas
ure, for which he was we'll paid.